Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Home Theater and
Electronics Cooling, But Didn't Know What or Who to Ask

Most home theater components are designed to run in well-ventilated
areas. Unfortunately, when installing several components in an enclosed
area without adequate airflow, the combined heat from the various
components will shorten the life and hamper the performance of many
expensive components. This is where cooling products and systems can
help. The three steps to successful cooling are ---

1. Identify the cooling problem and the product you need.

2. Decide how and where to install it.

3. Install it.

You'd probably like a little more detail, especially in steps 1 and
2, so here we go… … and I promise NO math, and absolutely NO
thermodynamics!

A few opening comments -----

There are formulas that determine how many cubic feet per minute (CFM)
you need to remove a given amount of heat. As these are difficult to
apply in AV work, I have found it is easier to think about minutes
between air changes. Change the air in a home theater system every few
minutes and problems go away.

Quiet, effective cooling is achieved by allowing all enclosures to
breathe freely, to let air pass through slowly, and therefore quietly,
and by being certain that the airflow flows where it should - over the
hot equipment!

Unenclosed Installation Recommendations

There are many types and styles of cooling devices, and the
particular installation and size dictate which of these would be most
effective for the situation. Generally, these are good rules to follow:

If the equipment is not completely enclosed, but is on a bookshelf,
in a corner, or otherwise has some, but not enough, ventilation (i.e. a
cabinet with no back, no doors), use a cooling device that sits below or
on top.

Use a cooling-base type device that sits underneath the equipment if
the component has bottom slots, or a top-mounted fan unit if the vent
openings are on top. If you want to put a heat-sensitive device, like a
DVD player, on top of something hot, use a cooling-shelf ("heat-shield")
product, and cool the "something hot" while shielding the device placed
on top - this lets you put more gear in a given area than you safely
could ordinarily.

Enclosed Installation Recommendations

If the equipment generates a moderate amount of heat, and if the
enclosure is compact, a small system-type cooling package is the
solution. A computer in a kitchen cabinet, or small music systems in a
section of a larger cabinet are examples. In these cases, look for a
cooling product with a couple of fans and grilles. These devices can be
used to either pull in cool air, or push out the hot.

If
the enclosure is mid-size (24"-30" high and one- or two-components wide)
and the equipment is the typical home theater assortment of a receiver
or amp, DVD player, a cable or satellite box, etc., there are larger
system kits available to address the size and complexity of the
configuration. Quality system sets will include multiple slow-turning
fans, grilles, power supplies, and a control device. They should be heat
sensitive and able to automatically adjust to environment and usage
temperature changes with fan speed controlled by, or (better yet)
proportional to, temperature rise.

If the system is more ambitious, with a whole-house amp, TiVo, power
conditioner, etc., look for a still larger version of the system kits
with full four-fan versions of the same automatic temperature sensitive
cooling systems.

For the larger jobs, such as closets and enclosed video projectors,
where you have to move the hot air up into an attic or dead space, use a
system that states it is specially designed for and suitable for
converted coat closets, enclosed single-chip (up to about 500 watt)
projectors, and large cabinets that are about the same size as coat
closets.

Finally, for the largest jobs (and the most power-hungry video
projectors), there are serious commercial air handlers capable of moving
air tens of feet to utility areas where it can dissipate.

More Tips

Fans can be mounted in various positions, while moving air in
patterns that will produce reasonable ventilation, depending on
availability of space behind or beside cabinets, or the presence of feet
or a kick-panel, etc. If the equipment is on shelves, put holes in the
shelves under the gear. If it is a rack installation, leave some open
space in the rack, using vent panels. This lets cool air get in and
around the equipment; so heated air can leave the rack and be removed
from the enclosure. Try to get complex air motion; side to side, down to
up, front to back. If fans will be visible when installed (on a wood
cabinet) and "looks count", consider products made from matching woods
that are now available.

Best Advice

As you can see, moving air successfully in order to cool your jets,
so to speak, is a precise undertaking but, done correctly, it adds
stability, performance and safety to any home or office electronics
installation. The best advice is to look for products from a company
that specializes in cooling. And finally, if the system and the
installation is a bit too complicated for even the most astute
do-it-yourselfer, don't hesitate to involve a licensed system integrator
who, again, has cooling and ventilating as a specialty or a significant
business group dedicated to this area.

For more information on cooling systems and products, or if there are
questions you still need answered, feel free to ask me at
frankf@activethermal.com.
It's cool!

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